There’s no doubt that the best way to become fluent in a foreign language is to spend as much time as possible living amongst those who speak that language. But conversely, if living amongst them becomes uncomfortable, that can severely impact the quality of the learning. So it’s a delicate balance.
Based on this, many people choose to go on language courses in the country of their chosen language for an extended trip. It’s often the everyday tasks that we undertake that give rise to the best opportunities to practice speaking a new language, such as going to the shops to buy something, or catching public transport.
One of the reasons for this is because when someone is presented with a study course, or left to choose which parts of the language they study, they fail to tackle the really difficult parts (for a variety of reasons). But when the focus is simply on getting something done (such as catching a bus or buying some food) they have no choice in the matter and no way of avoiding learning the necessary words and vocabulary in order to complete the task. If you are going to travel overseas for a language course it’s just as well to make sure that you retain as much as possible!
One more reason is that the student is not just going through a book and trying to force the brain to retain the knowledge. It’s reasonably obvious that if the brain is engaged in completing a seperate task, the learning process is not so daunting and cumbersome. Also, they may find themselves getting drawn into conversation, which again, is one of the best ways to learn. If the student has to vacate a bus or leave a shop without buying what they entered for, then the potential embarassment will probably ensure that they muddle their way through – hence, learning more vital language components.
Also, to be surrounded continually by other people speaking the language that you are trying to learn has many benefits that are not always so obvious. A lot of information can be absorbed while the learner is busy doing other things, if they happen to be in hearing distance of a conversation occurring in the language that they are learning. This is particularly helpful in terms of identifying intonations and emphasis used in the language.
Another great way to master a foreign language is by ‘distraction’. If one were to spend the day consciously trying to force the brain to absorb information, there is a tendency for the brain to get tired and resist. This is particularly prevalent if the learner gets bored or starts to find the task tedious. Trying to learn a new language, like the English language for example, should be enjoyable, not a chore.
A great way to use this technique also has many other benefits. If the whole language course is constructed in a way where serious study sessions are interspersed with fun and relaxing activities, not only will they have a more enjoyable vacation, but they will also become less bored during the difficult study periods. The activities can also be set up so that during this time, the learner is exposed to the language they are learning and is also required to converse in the language as well.
Especially if the student is quite young, they can also gain further from these activities. They can get involved in character and team building exercises for example. This will develop their communication skills, their boldness and confidence, plus it can help to develop initiative. These things will all contribute to the learner’s future success, and helps to ensure that they not only learn about and experience languages, but also many other things as well. This way, they will not feel that the whole course has been one long study session, but in reality they will have picked up language skills throughout the time spent. Lots of English language course participants will be pleased to hear this – you learn more when you’re having lots of fun!